Starting Lineup:
GK Zac MacMath will make his ninth regular season appearance of 2017, and first since the 3-0 loss at LA Galaxy on September 2. While with the Union in 2014, MacMath’s two saves in the penalty kick tiebreaker sealed an Open Cup semifinal win over FC Dallas, putting Philadelphia in its first-ever Open Cup final.
DEF Marlon Hairston played the first half of the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact at midfield before moving to right back for the second stanza. Hairston will be making his team-high 32nd appearance of the season and is currently 128 minutes away from reaching the 5,000-mark in four years with the club.
DEF Kortne Ford will be in the starting lineup for the seventh game in a row and second consecutive alongside Sjöberg. In his first season in MLS, Ford ranks second on the team in interceptions (33) and third in clearances (57). He will be making his 18th appearance and 17th start of 2017.
DEF Axel Sjöberg remains in the Starting XI for the second straight match after sitting out the 2-0 loss at FC Dallas on September 27. Sjöberg ranks first among defenders in passing accuracy, completing 82.8% of his passes. This will be his 17th appearance and start of 2017, taking his MLS total to 62.
DEF Eric Miller was an unused sub during the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact, snapping a 15-game starting streak. In his second season with the Rapids, Miller has set career-highs in games (27), starts (27) and minutes (2,346). He will be making his 75th regular season start since being drafted fifth overall in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft by the Impact.
MID Nana Boateng will start his second match of the season against FC Dallas after going the distance in the 2-0 loss on September 27. Despite only playing 45 minutes, Boateng registered a personal and team-high three shots during the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact.
MID Mohammed Saeid is one minute away from reaching 2,000 minutes with the Rapids. He played the final 11 minutes of the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact, marking just the second time he’s come off the bench this season. This will be Saeid’s 80th appearance and 70th start since arriving in MLS prior to the 2015 campaign.
MID Joshua Gatt went the distance for the second time all year in the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact, with the first coming during the 3-1 loss against LA Galaxy on June 21. Gatt will be making his 18th appearance and 10th start of 2017, and is currently 144 minutes from reaching the 1,000-minute mark in 2017.
MID Stefan Aigner tallied his first goal in Major League Soccer during the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact, becoming the 12th player to find the back of the net for Colorado this season. He will be making his third consecutive start and seventh appearance for the Rapids.
MID Dominique Badji tallied his team-high sixth assist during the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact. He will start on the wing for the first time since the 2-1 loss against Real Salt Lake on April 15. In his three seasons in MLS, Badji has tallied 17 goals and 10 assists in 72 games (52 starts).
FWD Alan Gordon recorded his third-game winner of the season during the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact. He will be making his fifth start of the season, and first since being in the Starting XI in four consecutive matches from April 29 to May 17. Gordon’s 55 career goals are best for 44th all-time in MLS.
On the Bench:
GK John Berner was recalled from his loan stint with Phoenix Rising FC earlier this week. He will be available for selection while Tim Howard is away on international duty. This will mark Berner’s 11th game on the bench this year, and first since the 3-0 loss at LA Galaxy on September 2.
DEF Mike da Fonte played the first 45 minutes of the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact before giving way to Nana Boateng during the interval. Da Fonte has now appeared in just two of the club’s last nine regular season games. In his first MLS campaign, the 26-year-old defender has made 14 appearances (13 starts).
DEF Bobby Burling was an unused sub during the 2-1 win against Montreal Impact. Ten days ago, Burling was the starting centerback alongside Ford in the 2-0 loss at FC Dallas. It was Burling’s first appearance since sustaining a foot injury that kept him sidelined for four months. In three seasons with the Rapids, Burling has logged 4,104 minutes, while appearing in 48 games.
MID Luis Gil has now gone five games without seeing the field, with his last appearance coming during the 3-0 loss at LA Galaxy on September 2. Since arriving in Colorado via trade on August 10, Gil has made four appearances for the club, with all but one coming from the start.
MID Ricardo Perez will be available for selection for the first time since the 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo on July 1. Perez is the only Rapids field player that has yet to feature in a regular season game this year. The Homegrown player went the full 90 minutes in both of Colorado’s U.S. Open Cup matches, including the trip to FC Dallas.
MID Dillon Serna registered a team-high three shots during the 2-0 loss at FC Dallas on September 27. The longest-tenured player on the Rapids roster has started just two of the last 11, taking his season total to 17 appearances and eight starts. Serna remains 132 minutes away from hitting the 1,000 mark for the second time in his career (2014).
M/F Shkëlzen Gashi will be available off the bench for the third game in a row. The Albanian DP played the final 20 minutes of the 2-0 loss at FC Dallas on September 27. After finishing with nine goals in his first season in MLS, Gashi has only found the back of the net twice in 2017, with both goals coming in the 3-0 win against San Jose Earthquakes on May 13.
